Mycorrhizal symbioses influence the trophic structure of the Serengeti

Stevens, Bo Maxwell

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

244, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

Bo Maxwell Stevens¹, Jeffrey R. Propster², Gail Wilson³, Andrew Abraham⁴, Chase Ridenour⁴, Christopher Doughty⁴ and Nancy Johnson^1,5, (1)School of Earth and Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, (2)Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, (3)Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, (4)School of Informatics, Computing, & Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, (5)Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ

Although they account for less than 1% of living biomass in the Serengeti Nation Park, the nutritional benefit provided by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal symbioses support half of the biomass of macroorganisms. We used AM fungal biomass measurements across a natural soil fertility gradient to estimate the contribution of mycorrhizal symbioses to the biomass of all plants and animals in the Serengeti. The symbiotic relationship between AM fungi and plants, which has evolved for millions of years, is critical for the uptake of essential plant nutrients such as phosphorus and has cascading effects throughout an ecosystem.

INS 12-5 - Mycorrhizal symbioses influence the trophic structure of the Serengeti